Abstract
Residential, industrial, commercial, institutional and recreational activities discharge degradable and non-degradable wastes that reach the coastal water through rivers and cause coastal pollution. In the present study, mass transport of pollutants by Adyar and Cooum Rivers to the coastal water as a result of land-based discharges was estimated during low tide. The lowest and the highest flow recorded in Adyar varied from 514.59 to 2,585.08×106 litres/day. Similarly, the flow in Cooum River fluctuated between 266.45 and 709.34×106 litres/day. The present study revealed that the Adyar River transported 53.89–454.11 t/d of suspended solids, 0.06–19.64 t/d of ammonia, 15.95–123.24 t/d of nitrate and 0.4–17.86 t/d of phosphate, 0.004–0.09 kg/d of cadmium, 0.15–1.29 kg/d of lead and 3.03–17.58 kg/d of zinc to the coastal water owing to its high discharge. Similarly, the Cooum River transported 11.87–120.06 t/d of suspended solids, 0.08–58.7 t/d of ammonia, 6.11–29.25 t/d of nitrate and 0.66–10.73 t/d of phosphate, 0.003–0.021 kg/d of cadmium, 0.02–0.44 kg/d of lead and 1.36–3.87 kg/d of zinc. A higher concentration of suspended solids was noticed in post monsoon and summer months. An increase in the mass transport of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate in summer months (April and May) and an increase in the mass transport of cadmium, lead and zinc were observed in monsoon months (October–December) in both the rivers. Thus mass transport of pollutants study reveal that Cooum and Adyar Rivers in Chennai contribute to coastal pollution by transporting inorganic and trace metals significantly through land drainage.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
APHA (American Public Health Association) (1992). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (18th ed., pp. 4.75–4.87, 4.108–4.116). Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.
Department of Ocean Development (DOD) (1992). Status of marine pollution in India. DOD Report (p. 150). New Delhi: Department of Ocean Development.
Ibanez, C., Prat, N., & Canicio, A. (1996). Changes in the hydrology and sediment transport produced by large dams on the lower Ebro River and its estuary. Regulated Rivers Research and Management, 12(1), 51–62.
Markofsky, M., Lang, G., & Schubert, R. (1986). Suspended sediment transport in rivers and estuaries. In J. Vander Kredie (Ed.), Physics of shallow estuaries and bays (pp. 210–227). New York: Springer.
Matschullat, J. (1997). Trace element fluxes to the Baltic Sea. Problems of input budgets. Ambio, 26(6), 363–368.
Milliman, J. D. (1980). Transfer of river-borne particulate material to the oceans. In J. M. Martin, J. D. Burton & D. Eisma (SCOR/ UNEP/ UNESCO) (Ed.), River inputs to ocean systems (pp. 5–12). Rome: Review and Workshop, FAO.
Nammalwar, P., & Pakshirajan, P. (1995). Ecotoxicological effects of industrial pollution in the estuarine Grey mullets with reference to aquaculture along the Madras coast. In Proc. IV National Symposium on “Environment” (pp. 52–56). Madras: Anna University.
Pastuszak, M. (1995). The hydrochemical and biological impact of the river Vistula on the Pelagi system of the Gulf of Gdansk in 1994, Part I. Variability in nutrient concentrations. Oceanologia, 37(2), 181–205.
Porgasaar,V. (1993). Content and distribution of phosphorus and nitrogen in the coastal waters of West Estonia. Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Science. Ecology, 3(4), 166–180.
Ramesh, R., Purvaja, G. R., & Subramaniam, V. (1995). Carbon and phosphorus transport by the major Indian rivers. Journal of Biogeography, 22, 409–415.
Roberts, J. W., & Veley, R. J. (1995). Loads, yields and transport relations of nutrients, chloride and suspended sediment in three lake Erie tributaries. In Proc. 38th Conf. International Association of Great Lakes Research, Ohio (pp. 125–126).
Roos, J. C., & Pieterse, A. J. H. (1994). Light, temperature and flow regimes of the Vaal River at Balkfontein, South Africa. Hydrobiologica, 227(1), 1–15.
Singh, P., Ramasastri, K. S., Singh, U. K., Gergan, J. T., & Dobhal, D. P. (1995). Hydrological characteristics of the Dokriani Glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 40(2), 243–258.
Sundaresan, B. B. (1986). Cooum River – A resource. In Proc. Seminar on River Cooum. Let it be a resource (pp. 1–7). India: University of Madras.
Zingde, M. D., & Desai, B. N. (1987). Pollution status of estuaries of Gujarat – An overview. In T. S. S. Rao, R. Natarajan, B. N. Desai, G. Narayana Swamy and S. R. Bhatt (Eds.), Contributions in Marine Sciences, Dr. S.Z. Qasim’s Shastyabdapoorthi Felicitation Volume (pp. 245).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gowri, V.S., Ramachandran, S., Ramesh, R. et al. Application of GIS in the study of mass transport of pollutants by Adyar and Cooum Rivers in Chennai, Tamilnadu. Environ Monit Assess 138, 41–49 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9789-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9789-9